Bump-n-Grind Saga Goes On...

[climbant]

http://www.jrn.com/kmir6/news/YOU-ASK-WE-INVESTIGATE-Bump-And-Grind-Emergency-Response-245474001.html

Seems people want faster rescue off the bump-n-grind. I think the reliance for immediate rescue is not a good mindset.

[physicslord]

I am puzzled. One person is complaining that firefighters cannot drive up the trail to get to injured persons. Huh?

It's a hiking trail people. Even in an emergency you do not expect to drive down a trail to rescue someone.

[climbant]

It used to be that we could drive the upper portion, after you head up the initial set of switchbacks and go around that bowl, the path runs into that wider dirt road. That's not driveable anymore. An ATV wouldn't work on the lower sections, too narrow. Overall though there is an over reliance for rescue.

[Vnthali]

Too many people in too many situations expect to be taken care of when the make bad decisions. Choosing to hike on a trail that is not designed for vehicle traffic, and then expecting rapid, technologically advanced, rescue in the middle of nowhere is a head in the sand approach that is sure to disappoint in a real emergency. Part of the appeal of hiking is the need to be self-reliant. Bring what you absolutely need to take care of yourself in an emergency. There's plenty written on the topic here and elsewhere.

[cynthia23]

WTH.??? People are mad that paramedics can't drive up the trail to rescue them?? Some lady is angry that it took a whole ninety minutes for somebody to get rescued from a trail?? It's like they seriously think the trail is a very large piece of gym equipment, and that the paramedics are like deficient gym employees who aren't doing their job.

What do they expect, that we should blaze roads through every section of non-urbanized lands and put defribillators behind every third rock, because God forbid anyone should ever die of illness or injury while pursuing a recreational activity??

Un-freaking believable. Thanks for posting Climbant.

[Sally]

I could have used a defibrillator at Rescue Box 2 a couple of times. I think you're on to something, Cynthia!

[bluerail]

i think the issue with alot of the people that have been doing it forever and that are in the risk years is that before the homeowners complained and had the trail head moved over to The schuller th they were able to drive up much quicker, and maybe that added to the draw of the trail as a workout. Who knows, maybe its just that so many of us are idiots.

[zippetydude]

What I find amazing is the quality of writing by the author of the article, Angela Monroe. It's so awful she might qualify to work for Cynthia's favorite newspaper. She called one gentleman "Palm Desert Henry Sanchez". Is this a new way of giving a person's residence? If so, you could end up with Glen Helen Ellen, Tornado Alley Sally, San Fernando Fernando...it gets worse...if Steve were an Ice Road trucker would they call him Yellow Knife bluerail? That would be confusing. Still, a variation of this could be fun. I came across an article titled, "A Whole Lot Less." Wouldn't it be great if that had been written by Patrick? "A Whole Lot Less" by lilbitmo. Sweet.

With all of the various mistakes in the article, my favorite part is where she tells of the heroic rescue by Carolyn Allen Roth. First, she sets the stage, giving us the person's credentials for being trained and ready to help:

Carolyn Allen Roth is ready for an emergency as a registered nurse, so she jumped into action when she saw a women lying on the Bump and Grind Trail.

Um, what is "a women"? Then she continued the exciting saga:

"I asked if she needed help, and she said yes, yes she was having a heart attack," said Carolyn.
They called 9-1-1."

Whew! Good thing she was a Registered Nurse! I don't think I'm properly trained to dial 911 when someone tells me they're having a heart attack. I'd probably have dialed Domino's with these untrained fingers. I guess that would have been okay, though, since they would have gotten there sooner. Well, either that or we would have had free pizza while we waited for help.

Anyway, back to the thread...I'm afraid this is going to fall into what I call the "They" category. Whenever there's a problem that could be fixed if unlimited money were available, people will tend to say, "They need to do something about this." Well, whoever "they" might be in this instance probably doesn't have the extra cash sitting around to regrade the road to functional standards. So there will be silly complaints always from people who want to suggest what "they" need to do, but of course nothing is accomplished by that. I like the fact that the people on this board actually expect to take care of themselves while on the trail. Makes for a much better crew.

z

[cynthia23]

LOL Zip. I think we need YOU to write for the Desert Sun, Zip. It would be a lot funnier, AND it would make more sense. Submit a resume?